Statement by LUX Audience Award 2024 finalists Alma PÖYSTI and Jussi VATANEN actors of Fallen Leaves. Parliament and the European Film Academy award the LUX prize to help the distribution of European films with significant artistic merit that reflect cultural diversity in Europe and beyond.

statement

LUX European Audience Film Award 2024 (T)

VATANEN, Jussi (FI)

PÖYSTI, Alma (FI)

LUX Audience Award 2024 - Statements by finalists: Alma PÖYSTI and Jussi VATANEN actors of Fallen Leaves

SOUNDBITE (English), Alma PÖYSTI, Actress of Fallen Leaves, Well, it's of course a huge honour to be nominated. And you think about films from all over Europe, and these five are selected this year. So we are very humble and grateful to be here and and to be nominated. And of course, I mean, the audience prizes are, in a way, the most valuable ones because it's for the audiences we do what we do. It's for sharing with just not only cineastes but just anyone, really.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jussi VATANEN, Actor of Fallen Leaves, Films and art in general are made for public, and, you know, public can be sometimes cruel, but sometimes they share their love. And, that's something we have to balance as artists always.

SOUNDBITE (English), Alma PÖYSTI, Actress of Fallen Leaves, Well, maybe it's about the humanism. Deep down, it's about values and humanism and caring for one another. And the people in this movie, they're not doing great. They are not treated very well by the society. And maybe they're past their due dates, at least on the dating market, you can say, and there is still so much hope and light and warmth in this film. And it's kind of also gives examples in a very concrete way of when compassion becomes a strength and somehow a counterforce for cynicism. And I think many people connect to this, these stories that we see in this film and with these characters because you see yourself.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jussi VATANEN, Actor of Fallen Leaves, In many occasions, the films are made about successful people, and I think it's almost like liberating to see a story and see a film about the underdogs of the society and to see the world through their eyes and just feel the sort of humbleness of the story and these characters who who share simple and honest feelings with the audience. And that's that's something you can always relate.

SOUNDBITE (Finnish), Alma PÖYSTI, Actress of Fallen Leaves, It's really amazing that this little shy love story from Finland, quite far from the rest of the world, is getting a response and people have taken it to their hearts from Japan to Mexico, and again in the USA and Europe really strongly. And I'm sure a lot of people identify with these people and also with the reduced-down storytelling.

SOUNDBITE (Finnish), Jussi VATANEN, Actor of Fallen Leaves, Well, I have to admit, it's a good movie.

SOUNDBITE (Finnish), Jussi VATANEN, Actor of Fallen Leaves, This is fantastic realism in a sense. We don't know exactly when it takes place, but then again, we doesn't have to know. When the viewer is forced to forget the logic of how this work should be interpreted, perhaps the focus will be on the people's story and the emotions and fears that the protagonists of the story have to go through. When the viewer has the opportunity to focus on the story, it also gives a little time to reflect on the life of their own. I'm sure this is also a part of the reason why people feel that this movie is so important.